I have an AMD phenom II processor for my desktop, i have absolutely no problem running any games i play. I also run design and modeling software such as Inventor which is a very tasking program. Still, no problem. AMD is way cheaper. Intel is a better product, but its essintially overkill.

I have an AMD phenom II processor for my desktop, i have absolutely no problem running any games i play. I also run design and modeling software such as Inventor which is a very tasking program. Still, no problem. AMD is way cheaper. Intel is a better product, but its essintially overkill.

Not entirely overkill or expensive. Phenom 2 is cheaper due to being an older processor compared to the current 3rd gen Core i and FX CPUs.

To the OP, it all depends on your budget. An i3 3220 would be perfect for gaming but any Phenom 2 or FX CPU would technically be fine as well.

I run game fine, look at my sig. Its mainly your GPU that deals with games

it isnt always the GPU that deals mainly with games. the CPU is important as well. You have a 560 for a gpu? take that out and see how much your CPU likes calculating Physics without a Physx enabled GPU. not saying that cpu wouldnt handle it mind you. i know mine sure as hell doesnt lolol (poor single core, im so mean to it).

And really, AMD or Intel would be fine for gaming. the link to the "comparison chart" wasn't very helpful.

as well, benchmarks are a general thing. in real world applications things vary.

you have to remember that the two brands initially started targeting different crowds, and are built differently. Similar to how Nvidia gpu's and AMD (or if older, ATi) cannot be directly compared, as they are built and work slightly differently. let us know what you go with though and good luck to you, happy system building